“I’d be willing to test the alien vials on him,” Violette teased. “Could be fun.”
“There will be no more dosing of fellow crewmen. Last time someone tied him naked to the dining table,” Lochlann said. “We had to sanitize the room for a month before anyone would eat in there again.”
Raisa had a feeling this crew joked to hide the fact that they were nervous.
“Why does the Federation want you?” Raisa studied Jackson’s face, not joining in the banter. She noticed he liked to avoid any questions related to that part of his past.
“I don’t know,” Jackson said.
“Really? They just woke up one day and decided to chase you?” Raisa questioned doubtfully.
“A couple of new recruits found him on Torgan while playing with their hand scanner. My guess is they want to reenlist him—” Alexis said.
“They didn’t say that,” Jackson inserted.
“—but Jackson refused to go with them,” Alexis finished.
“They didn’t take no for an answer?” Raisa asked.
“They didn’t take Jackson’s fist in their faces as an answer,” Lochlann admitted. “After the Federation soldiers scanned him he was supposed to stay on the ship while we were on the ground so he wouldn’t get caught, but for some reason he disobeyed and left. They must have spotted him. Now they’re on our trail.”
Raisa took a deep breath. Guilt filled her at the realization. “It’s because you helped me, isn’t it? You left the ship to rescue me and that’s why they’re coming for you now.”
“What’s done is done,” Jackson dismissed.
“I am so sorry,” Raisa said to the crew.
“For what? Needing help?” Violette chuckled wryly. She moved to follow Rick. “If it wasn’t this, it would be something else. Life of the high skies.”
“Life of the high skies,” Alexis agreed.
“I’ll help the space cadet in the cockpit. Jackass couldn’t fly his way out of a rainbow,” Violette said. The soft notes of a pirate song trailed behind her as she sang, “And we sail the high skies, looking for gold, looking for treasures that never grow old. The wind in our sails, lads, the stars at our feet, as we plunder for women, thick brown, and good mead.”
“Secret aliens, Federation up our backsides, a broken tin can of a ship.” Alexis gave the group a bemused look. “Just another day in space, isn’t it?”
Lochlann didn’t find the same amusement as his wife. Neither did Dev. Raisa glanced up at Jackson.
And, neither did he.
“Lighten up.” Alexis waved her hand at all of them as if to erase their expressions. She used her husband’s arm for leverage as she lifted onto her toes to kiss his jaw. “I’m only teasing. Besides, I wouldn’t trade the adventure of being your wife for anything in the known galaxies.” She released him and gestured at Raisa. “Grab your shoes and come on. You’ve had a long day and the security officers need to discuss security stuff. Let’s get you something to eat before the real fun starts. I’m dying to know if Jackson actually makes sounds during sex or just stares moodily at a woman in silent disapproval.”
“Ah, I, ah…” Raisa stuttered as she looked at Jackson.
His eyes were closed as he grimaced.
Raisa picked up her shoes and moved to follow the woman toward the dining hall.
13
“So, is the alien chick hot, or what?” Rick asked, not taking his eyes off the viewing screen as he maneuvered the slow ship on a new course. The nearest place to hide was on a nearby fueling dock. The hope was that the larger vessel’s size would mask their presence to anyone who might be searching for them.
To Jackson’s way of thinking, if the Federation did follow them to the fueling dock, it would be the perfect place to turn himself over to the military without endangering his crew. Alexis was probably right. With his training, they probably wanted him to rejoin. He didn’t want to go, but this wasn’t about him. It was about protecting his family.
Rick turned in his seat when Jackson didn’t answer. “You know, you’re not a fun guy.”
“You’re an idiot,” Jackson countered. “And, yes, for a blue humanoid woman in stasis for the last countless years that we have flown this ship, she is very pretty.”
Rick grinned, winking at him before he turned back to his screen. In a low voice, he murmured, “Oh, yeah. Hot blue alien on board.”
Jackson bit back his laugh. He’d never let Rick see he was amused by him. They were alone in the cockpit. Violette had gone for food with Raisa and Alexis. Dev and Lochlann were in the cargo hold looking over inventory they might be able to part with on the fueling dock. Lucien was rescuing his brother from the wall. Well, to be precise, Lucien was supposed to be rescuing his brother from the wall.
“You know, I’ll deny this if you repeat it, but if this doesn’t work and you even dare try to join up with the Federation on this fuel dock, I’ll kick your ass. And if they take you, I’m coming to find you.” Rick didn’t look back as he pushed several buttons on the console before turning a dial.
Jackson appreciated the sentiment. He already knew Rick and the others would try to find him. “You don’t expect me to hug you or anything, do you?”
“You’re sexy, Jacks, but not my type.” Rick laughed. He began to whistle, as if he hadn’t a care in the universe. After several minutes, he said, “You’re making me nervous. Go breathe down your lady’s neck.”
Jackson grumbled a nonverbal answer and left the cockpit. He should have gone to help Lochlann and Dev, but instead found himself standing outside the dining hall door where the women had gone. Alexis and Violette leaned over the table in conversation. At his appearance, they both turned to him.
“I need you to show me this alien language,” Alexis said. “I could be searching my database for a match.”
“You heard the captain,” Jackson denied.
“Since when did any of us obey an order to behave?” Violette dismissed. “Just slip her in there and I’ll make sure the corridor stays empty, so you can come back out.”
As Alexis walked past him, she hooked his arm to make him go with her. He resisted, and she was unable to move him.
“What if I can save the woman in stasis, and we can shut down the lab safely so that we can power the ship and avoid conscripting you into service?” Her words were logical, and she knew it.
Jackson sighed heavily in response.
Alexis took that as an affirmative to her plan and smiled. “That’s more like it.”
This time he let her pull him into the corridor. “Where is Raisa?”
“Viktor finally made it out of the wall. He has Raisa looking at the propulsion system.” Alexis dropped his arm. “Why? Do we need her blood to get inside?”
“No.” Jackson held out his hand. “I need your knife.”
Violette reached into her boot and pulled out the weapon. She turned the hilt toward him and handed it over. “We should hurry before Lochlann and Dev finish in the cargo hold.”
“Serean. Irrelevant to the situation. Reexamine,” Alexis muttered as she searched through her mind for answers. She sat at the dining table, her hands flat on the surface. Her eyes twitched, and she didn’t really see what was in front of her. “Syog. Irrelevant to the situation. Reexamine. Feenik. Irrelevant to the situation…”
“Blast the stars,” Lochlann swore as he came into the dining hall. “Who sent my wife into a deep search?”
“Shh,” Violette hushed him. “I’ll tell you if you promise not to get mad.”
Jackson averted his gaze. He kept his arms crossed as he stood over Alexis to keep an eye on her progress. The lights flickered, and he heard Lochlann sigh. He understood the man’s frustration. His ship was falling apart around him, and pirates without a ship were, well…dock workers.
“…G’am. Irrelevant…”
Lochlann groaned. He pressed his fingers to a temple and rubbed as if fighting a sudden headache. “You went into the secret lab and she’s l
ooking for a way to identify the language.”
“… Reexamine. Reticulans…”
“Maybe?” Violette gave the captain a tight smile as she waited to see his reaction.
Lochlann arched a brow at Jackson. “I should have guessed this would happen. Let me know what she figures out.”
Violette nodded.
“And you…” Lochlann pointed at Jackson with a stern look. “Check on Viktor in the engine room. See if he needs anything.”
“…Brinstoneman…”
Jackson uncrossed his arms and did as he was told. He was eager to see Raisa again, and he quickened his step.
“If we patch the burnt wires and reverse the power supply to that room, we would have more than enough energy to restore the ship to full power,” Viktor was saying as Jackson approached the engine room. The lights flickered, as if to punctuate the problem.
Jackson came into the doorway and found Viktor sitting close to Raisa on the floor, his head lowered as they spoke. Metal parts from whatever they were deconstructing were scattered around them in what appeared to be organized chaos.
Raisa nodded. “Agree. Or if we found a way to tap into the reserve.”
“Then all we need is to fix this propulsion system,” Viktor said. “We could be up and running in a matter of hours.”
“We could try welding the cracked casing, but I don’t think it will hold for long,” Raisa said. She lifted her hand over the metal objects and they rearranged themselves on the floor without her touching them. “I think we can do without the secondary propeller since it’s bent and will block airflow—”
Her words stopped when she realized Jackson was watching.
“Lochlann wanted me to see if you needed help with the heavy lifting,” Jackson said.
“You have to see this, Jackson,” Viktor insisted. “Show him.”
Raisa chuckled. She lifted her hands and willed the small parts to move. They slid around the floor.
“Isn’t that awesome?” Viktor clapped his hands and rocked back.
“He’s easily amused.” Raisa dismissed Viktor’s excitement and pushed to her feet. To his surprise, she came to him and lifted up on her toes to give him a kiss. He froze in place, not instantly returning the unexpected affection. She braced her hand on his crossed arms.
Viktor stopped rocking and cleared his throat. He averted his gaze as he reached for a part on the floor.
“What was that for?” Jackson dropped his arms and reached for her before she pulled away.
“Felt like it.” She shrugged.
“I see what you mean about the secondary…” Viktor began grabbing parts and rearranging them like a puzzle. “You’re a genius.”
“You can fix it?” Jackson asked.
“We won’t be the fastest ship in the sky, but we’ll go,” Viktor said. “Give us three hours. We should know then if this will work.”
“Possibly two,” Raisa said. “We’ll do everything we can.”
“I’ll let Lochlann know.” Jackson stopped Raisa from pulling away from him and leaned down to kiss her, harder and deeper than she had him. It was her turn to be surprised.
14
Raisa slammed her hand on the propulsion motor in frustration. She’d gotten used to the lights flickering, though it made her job challenging. “This should have worked.”
She had wanted desperately to solve the problem. If they could get power to move through space, they could possibly get away from the Federation vessel following them. Jackson would be safe. She told herself it was because he’d saved her, and she owed him. She also told herself that she knew she wasn’t admitting to the full reason.
“It’s been four hours,” Viktor said, pushing up from the floor and stretching his arms. “Let’s step away and prepare to dock. With luck, someone will have the parts we need to do this right.”
Raisa arched a brow.
“Long shot, I know,” Viktor said.
She liked Viktor. Actually, she liked the entire crew. They were cavalier, and each obviously flawed in their own unique ways, perhaps even damaged by something in their pasts, but they cared for each other and they meant well. Dev was a little scary, but she never felt threatened. Violette had a rough edge to her personality, like she’d been raised in a male-dominated area and had spent her life trying to prove herself. Alexis, well…now that had to be some kind of story, considering the way she could access information just by going into a trance. Lucien and Viktor bickered nonstop, to the point she had to order Lucien to leave so they could work. Lochlann was overprotective, but also a pushover when it came to the will of his wife. Rick could best be described as a devil-may-care flyboy who took nothing seriously and acted like he had nothing and no one to lose.
Then there was Jackson. Just thinking of his touch caused Raisa to shiver. He kept himself guarded. His expressions gave little emotion away. When he stood, his arms were crossed and his stance wide as if someone might try to knock him over at any moment. He also made her feel safe. Something about the challenge he presented made her want to break through the barrier he kept around himself to see what was inside.
“Why are you staring at me?” Viktor asked, touching his face to see if he had anything on it.
“Sorry, I’m drifting.” Raisa shook her head and took a deep breath. “It frustrates me when I can’t figure out a mechanical or electrical problem.”
“Jackson’s tough. He’ll be fine,” Viktor assured her. “We’ll keep him safe.”
Raisa wasn’t sure if Viktor believed that, or if he said it to reassure her.
“Raisa.” Lochlann skidded to a stop at the door to the engine room. “Good, you’re in here.”
“Sorry, Captain, no luck so far,” Viktor said.
“We’ll keep trying,” Raisa added.
“There’s no time. It’s as we feared. A Federation ship is coming in strong. We’ve started docking procedures and there’s no way we’re outrunning them.” Lochlann motioned that she should follow him. “There is also no way we’re letting them take Jackson.”
Raisa hurried to follow him. “Anything I can do.”
“We’re hiding the both of you in the secret lab. You’re not on our roster, and we don’t need more questions. We can’t deny Jackson was part of the crew, but we’ll say he ran off on Torgan. If they can’t find him, they can’t prove otherwise. You’ll have food and bedding, and the rest you’ll just have to figure out.” Lochlann led the way through the corridors, not slowing. “I don’t know how long you’ll be in there, but Alexis will be with you. She thinks she’s narrowed down a close relative to the alien language. If you can figure out what’s happening, I’ve given Jackson permission to make the call about shutting it down so we can divert power back to the ship. If Viktor can get the engine fixed, we’ll be running at full capacity again.”
“So, you’re going to say Alexis ran off with Jackson?” Even though it was a lie, the idea caused a little pang of jealousy to erupt inside her.
“Alexis is not on the roster and won’t be missed. She’s, uh…” Lochlann cleared his throat.
“What?”
“People think she’s a pleasure droid,” Lochlann admitted. “Machines don’t need to be registered as part of the crew.”
“Alexis is a sex doll?” Raisa gasped. “I wouldn’t have guessed. She seems so real.”
“She is real. She was used as the base model of a pleasure droid line,” Lochlann corrected a little gruffly.
Raisa realized she’d hit a sensitive topic. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine,” Lochlann dismissed, though it didn’t sound fine.
Raisa wanted to ask more questions but kept them to herself. If Alexis was part machine, that might explain the strange ability she had to sift through great amounts of information like a mental file clerk. “What about the blue alien?”
Lochlann paused and lowered his head. “The lives of this crew come first. Jackson knows that. He’ll do what needs to be done.”
>
Raisa realized that meant they could be pulling the plug on Blue. She understood the importance of diverting power to the ship, but if the woman was alive it felt too much like murder.
Lochlann didn’t appear to take his decision lightly, and she saw his shoulders slump as he continued to walk.
“This is the last of it,” Dev stated, carrying a large crate toward them. “Everything else in the cargo has a slip.”
“Drop it off and find your wife. Prepare for docking,” Lochlann ordered, as he stepped out of the way to let Dev pass.
Lochlann didn’t speak as he led her to the cockpit. Inside, the viewing screen flickered, showing a large metal ship with two bulbous sides joined by a long, skinny center, with grooves cut out of it for ships to dock and fuel. Rick flew Bound Virgin with one hand on the controls and the other flat on the console. He artfully maneuvered the ship into place, lining it up to slide into the fueling slot. Raisa grabbed hold of the door frame as they made contact with the metal dock. It jerked her back and forth before the vessel settled into place. Rick began the sequence to cut power to the engines.
“You should get into the room,” Lochlann told her. “I’m going to do my best to keep them off the ship. I’ll tell them we are a Var vessel and Qurilixen isn’t part of the Alliance, and that we don’t recognize their authority. It might work, or it might just delay entry for a few days as they convince the authorities on the fueling dock to lock us down until they can look inside.”
Raisa nodded, but watched the docking lot for a few moments as connectors reached out to lock the ship into place. The metal clunked as they made contact and it prodded her into action. She went toward the secret chamber. Jackson stood there with Alexis. The pair waited for her. Jackson held a knife.
“We’re docked,” she said, though her words were probably unnecessary as they would have felt the connectors engage. “The captain wants us to lock ourselves in.”
“Any requests from the food simulator?” Alexis asked. “Might be your last chance to get what you want for a few days.”
His Earth Maiden AE Page 9
